Black Lives Matter #BLM Resources, Information, Thoughts, Artwork, People, etc.
While I was publishing a minimum of 3 blog posts for a couple of months, this past month, May, personally was an interesting one as other things took over priority, in a good way… but what it also did was keep me away from what was happening outside in the world.
Because I was so focused on my priorities, I had completely tuned myself out from the world outside, fairly easy to do given the current COVID circumstances.
But, after I learned of everything i.e. sorta start of a revolution while I was living inside my bubble, guilt hit me hard! The fact that I am privileged enough to be able to do just that was a huge wake-up call!! Everything that I have been reading and watching ever since has brought up one too many emotions, for better or worse.
Of course, I immediately took to social media and shared my voice (see below) and the resources that I could find on #BlackLivesMatter rather than ‘MUTE’ myself (seriously, the dumbest idea ever, those black tiles on IG defeated the whole purpose).
So unlike my favorite finds that I share every month, I am going to solely focus on sharing my thoughts and finds, resources, people, artwork, etc related to #BLM in this post.
This post is also being published much later than when I post my monthly favorites. It is just a starting point if you will and there are plenty of extremely helpful POC resources and talent out there.
More importantly, this isn’t one and done, PLEASE (actively) do your part during this much-needed revolution (and beyond)!
WHAT I SHARED ON INSTAGRAM ABOUT
BLACK LIVES MATTER #BLM
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How have we been/become a society who makes a kid (any kid or anyone) feel this way!? 😢 💔 Head to my IG stories (or on @wealth ), hurts more & more every time I watch it, but to feel that way, & to have to live that way, every single waking minute, can you even imagine what that must feel like!? 💔 💔 Mother Earth does NOT differentiate or discriminate, then who are you & I to do that? 🤎🖤🤍❤️
Repost & 📷 @morganharpernichols
You belong on this journey just as much as anyone else.⠀
No matter how others see you or how you have been made to think less of yourself.
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NOT posting a black tile for #blackouttuesday because it is about time we #amplifymelanatedvoices 🖤 🔊 WHY should I mute my voice? Haven’t we done that long enough? Isn’t that a large part of the problem? Isn’t that why we are where we are right now!?!? Now more than ever we need to be the voice for those who have been silenced (or gone unheard) long enough!!! As I educate myself and learn and grow, IG (and my blog) have been my platforms/my voice where I share what I learn, and I will continue to do just that, I will always strive to be that resource, now more than ever… I urge you all to break the silence, we can all do better, we can all be the change! ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻 Swipe right, my exact feelings!
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Her nephew, Little Bobby was murdered on May 29, 2020, at 9:16p, three blocks from home #RIPlittleBob 💔 ✊🏿 🖤 #blacklivesmatter
Meet @cyndiespiegel , I have met her, I know her, and I talk to her! I teared up this morning as I read through her last few posts on IG. I personally know someone who has directly been impacted by this brutality, and her life will never be the same again, (look at that warmth in her eyes and that smile on her face, will it ever be the same again?) and suddenly it all hit me differently and even more deeply! I am sincerely praying that she and her family gain the strength to deal with this horror!
My mind and heart have been heavy the past few days, but that doesn’t even remotely compare to what the BIPOC is going through and I can’t even remotely comprehend what life feels like for them!
I have a million things to say and at the same time, I am at a loss for words… For now, I urge you all to PLEASE use your voice/your platforms to make a real impact, don’t sit back, don’t make excuses, don’t stay silent, NOT NOW!
Cyndie has built an empowering community @deargrownasswomen not for blacks, not for WOC, but for women, ALL women. She is INCLUSIVE, she does not discriminate! When Cyndie comes on stage she sets it on fire with her passion and her message.
She wrote – “He was 32 years old and was walking to his friend’s house.
It’s like a bad dream. And none of us are awake yet.
But this…this is why black lives have to be valued. My nephew didn’t deserve being stabbed and left on the ground to be found. He did NOTHING wrong.
But that, friends, is what life handed this wide-eyed kid, my nephew.
My family has never known grief or tragedy like this. Please keep us in your prayers and continue speaking up and speaking up for black lives.
These lives are all my wide smiling, wide-eyed nephew, Bobby.
My family will never be OK again. We won’t.
Please pray for him and for all of us. — Cyndie” .
#dontbesilent #speakforjustice #justiceforahmaud #justiceforfloyd #justiceforbreonnataylor #justiceforblackpeople #bipoc
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SAY HER NAME 💔 Link 👆🏾 Swipe right 👉🏾
REPOST @colormecourtney : In honor of Breonna Taylor’s 27th birthday today, we are calling for justice to be served .
Breonna was an essential worker murdered at the height of a pandemic in her HOME. She was killed by police with a barrage of bullets that struck her atleast 8 times .
They were executing a no-knock warrant for another suspect that was already in their custody. The FBI finally opened an investigation into her shooting today, but no officers have been arrested, charged, or even disciplined yet .
When we say #blacklivesmatter, that must include Black women & Black LGBTQ+ lives, too. Use your voice for them just like you did for #GeorgeFloyd .
Donate, protest, petition and DEMAND #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor .
#allblacklivesmatter #breonnataylor #sayhername #birthdayforbreonna
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INTROSPECTION, I do that a lot! Besides listening, learning, using my voice, doing my part the past few weeks, I’ve also been doing a lot of introspecting, only this time it isn’t solely about the thoughts & feelings but also about past events, experiences, actions (or lack of actions). How have I been ok with living in my own bubble, complacent, & dismissive of how people of color are being treated!? This to me is NOT A TREND, NOT a one day, one week, one month, or even a ‘2020’ thing, but this has been an extremely crucial & much-needed wake-up call & I promise to fight the fight for as long as needed! I’LL DO BETTER, I PROMISE 👉🏾
Being a brown South Asian woman, who wasn’t born in this country, with a foreign accent, I experience a fair share of bias/exclusion cuz of my skin color (especially in this industry, not just from brands, but also within the blogging community), but none compared to what my black brothers & sisters are subjected to & I’ve only now come to realize the gravity of their sufferings!? Shame on my part, oh the guilt!
Being discriminated against because of my color has been something I’ve experienced since I was a little kid.
People in my country are OBSESSED with white skin (our version of white)! So I too have suffered serious amounts of insecurities until I knew better. But I realize that my biggest mistake is becoming dismissive about it. As I grew out of my own insecurities & the need for ‘white-skin’, I disregarded anyone who treated someone differently cuz of their skin color (one of my very first blogposts, ‘Love the skin you’re in!’).
You don’t like my color? Too bad, I LOVE my color & I don’t like your attitude! So we can’t be friends, & that’s the end of the story! Cuz I got no time or energy for anyone that small-minded. & I simply move on! BIG MISTAKE, I should KNOW better & DO better!
Yes, it infuriates me when racial slurs are hurled at me (‘my people’) the most popular one (unfortunately) being ‘go back to your country’. & yes, it infuriates me, when brands/blogging community talks about inclusion & maybe have 1 black person to ‘meet their quota’ to ‘represent diversity’ and South Asian brown women like me not born in this country do not meet any of their ‘so-called criteria’.
FYI: Diversity encompasses all colors, shapes, sizes, and backgrounds!
The list goes on, but the number of times I am mistreated or the number of instances when I am robbed of an opportunity because of my skin color, background, accent, don’t remotely compare to what the black community faces and suffers!
Being dismissive or making peace with being discriminated against or about people/brands being racists is NOT OK! I am better than that, I should do better than that, I have a voice (a very loud one at that), and I have a platform. It is my DUTY and it is my RESPONSIBILITY to use both wisely and to make a difference! I owe it to myself and I owe it to all POC!
OTHER BLACK LIVES MATTER FINDS #BLM
PEOPLE, ARTISTS, RESOURCES, INFORMATION
View this post on Instagramperformance won’t end racism. change your heart. change your home. change humanity.
Image Source: Google
“All lives can’t matter until black lives matter”
xoxo,
Kusum
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